What is the best car insurance in California for young adults?

Car insurance for a 25-year-old averages between $1,700 and $2,500 per year, or about $142 to $208 per month, for full coverage. Although 25-year-olds still pay more for car insurance than the national average of about $1,500 per year, their premiums decrease by 10% to 15% on average just for turning 25.… read full answer

The exact amount you’ll pay for car insurance depends on the company, your location, the type of car you drive, the coverage limits you select, your driving history and many other factors.

Is car insurance for a 25-year-old male more expensive?

Teenage and young adult males pay between 8% and 16% more than their female counterparts. The price gap becomes smaller the closer you get to age 25. By the time their 25th birthday rolls around, men pay around 1% to 3% more for car insurance than women, and prices continue to be pretty evenly matched from that age forward.

Average car insurance rates for 25-year-olds:

The best thing you can do to guarantee the best rate for car insurance is to shop around. You should compare rates from at least a few different insurers before making a decision.

Car insurance for a 21-year-old costs $2,400 to $3,000 per year on average, according to various estimates. That’s roughly $1,000 more than the average U.S. driver pays. Insurers charge more to cover young drivers because research shows they are more likely to be involved in car accidents. Also, since young male drivers statistically have more accidents than young female drivers, a 21-year-old male is likely to pay several hundred dollars more per year for car insurance than a 21-year-old female.… read full answer

If you’re 21 and you’ve had your insurance for a couple of years, you should notice that the price goes down each year. The good news is this will continue until premiums start to level off around age 30. If your budget is suffering now, however, there may be things you can do to reduce your rates.

Ways to Reduce the Cost of Car Insurance for a 21-Year-Old

• Check if you can be covered under your parents’ policy if you live at home or are in college.
• Keep your grades up to a 3.0 (B) average or better for a good-student discount of about 7%, depending on the insurer.
• Ask about a safe-driver discount if you’ve had your license and a clean driving record for at least 3 years. This could save you 5%-10% (20% by state law in California).
• Evaluate your coverage needs. The average annual cost for state-mandated minimum liability insurance is only about $875 for a 21-year-old. If you drive an older car, minimum coverage may be all you need.
• Consider delaying a new car purchase until after you turn 25 years old, when you’ll see a major drop in your insurance rates.

Be sure to compare quotes among companies, as rates and discounts for young drivers vary from insurer to insurer. The General and Esurance tend to offer some of the best rates to younger drivers, including 21-year-olds, according to WalletHub's research.

Older cars are cheaper to insure than newer cars, all else being equal. For example, it’s cheaper to insure a 2005 Toyota Camry than a 2015 Camry. Older cars are less valuable, so an insurer won’t have to pay out as much in the event of a total loss. Plus, once the car falls below a certain value, comprehensive and collision coverages to protect the car itself will actually cost more than they’re worth. You can drop these parts of your insurance altogether and save money.… read full answer

But a car’s age actually has less of an impact on insurance premiums than its make and model. If your older car is a popular model with thieves, has hard-to-find replacement parts, or is a luxury car or high-end sportscar, it could cost more to insure than a brand-new car of a different make and model.

When your car is at a higher risk of being stolen, your premiums are likely to be higher, too. You may think that thieves love flashy sportscars, but many older cars are stolen to be dismantled for parts. Popular targets are chosen because their parts haven’t changed much over the years or because so many of them are still on the road.

Top 5 Most Stolen Used Cars (More Expensive to Insure)

1. 1998 Honda Civic (1998)
2. 1997 Honda Accord (1997)
3. 2006 Ford F-150 (2006)
4. 2004 Chevrolet Silverado
5. 2017 Toyota Camry

There are other reasons an older car could be more expensive to insure. For instance, parts can become hard to find for discontinued makers, like Saab, or less popular models. Trouble finding replacement parts drives up repair costs. That increases the price of insuring a vehicle.

So, in general, older cars are cheaper to insure. But if your older car is one of the special cases with higher insurance costs, shop around for the best price. Not all insurance companies treat all older cars the same.